[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, South Korea – October 21, 2025 – South Korean prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence for Ahn Seung-ho, a former vice president at Samsung Electronics Co., on charges of leaking confidential corporate information, according to court officials on Tuesday.
The prosecution made the sentencing request during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court’s 28th Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Han Dae-kyun, held on July 22. Ahn faces charges under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act for allegedly misappropriating Samsung’s internal patent data.
Prosecutors also sought prison sentences for several others accused in related cases:
Lee, a former head of the patent filing group at Samsung Display, received a seven-year prison term request and a ₩800 million (US$580,000) fine recommendation.
Another Samsung Electronics IP Center employee was recommended for five years in prison for allegedly leaking confidential materials.
Kim, a former CEO of Intellectual Discovery, a state-funded patent management firm, was sought for four years, accused of helping to channel government funds through offshore accounts for personal use.
Two other former Samsung employees were each recommended five years and two years, respectively.
Ahn, who left Samsung Electronics after serving as head of the Intellectual Property (IP) Center, founded a patent management firm called Synergy IP. He was indicted and detained in June 2024 for allegedly obtaining internal patent analysis data from a Samsung employee and using it in a patent infringement lawsuit against the company.
Ahn and an audio device company named Tekkia had sued Samsung in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, claiming unauthorized use of recording device patents. The U.S. court later dismissed the case, ruling that Ahn had improperly used confidential Samsung data in the lawsuit.
Separately, former Samsung Display executive Lee was accused of leaking confidential negotiation details to Japan’s Fujifilm during patent sale discussions, receiving US$120,000 in kickbacks, and collecting ₩700 million (US$510,000) in bribes from patent law firms over several years in exchange for internal contract favors. He also allegedly assisted Kim in purchasing worthless Japanese patents for US$770,000 and channeling back US$270,000 through overseas accounts using government subsidies.
The sentencing hearing for Ahn and the other defendants is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
